Intense
by par-ic
Summary: Catherine is thrown into an intense situation that can only bring her and her daughter, Lindsey, closer.
1. Chapter 1

_Originaly this wasn't going to be fanfiction, but I changed my mind when I realized the dirrections I could take with it. I don't own CSI. LLK is an amazing beta and friend._

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Prologue

A woman in her late thirties walked towards a man dressed in dark, business appropriate clothing. Her high heels made clicking noises against the hard tiled floor of the grocery store. Her breathing became more rapid while the nerves built up in her stomach. She stood in front of the man, his height towering over hers. For a moment she didn't say a word, the silence of the mostly empty store filling her mind. She crossed her arms and looked the man in his light brown eyes. With determination and every last strand of emotional strength she had left in her, the woman allowed her words to escape her lips.

"I'm pregnant, the child is yours, and I'm keeping it."

For half an agonizing minute the man in the suit pondered this information with a look of clear shock written across his face, causing the woman's skin to crawl with anticipation.

"You did this on purpose!" the man almost shouted, raising his hand and bringing it down across the woman's ivory cheek. The force of the blow pushed the woman back, her curled, strawberry-blond hair flying around her head. After regaining her balance, she looked straight into his eyes while holding her hand to her cheek.

"This isn't just going to _go away _like all your other problems." With that said, the woman turned and left the store.


	2. Chapter One

_I don't own CSI. Beta job by the always there LLK._

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CHAPTER 1

_Later that night…_

"I'm home!" Catherine Willows heard the familiar voice of her teen aged daughter, Lindsey Willows, and the drop of her book bag onto the wood flooring. While distracted, she didn't have time to place her hands in front of her face to protect against the blow. The man from the store, the father of her unborn baby, was too busy thrusting his fists into Catherine's face and stomach to hear any warning of the teen's approach.

Catherine was pinned against the living room wall, hoping, praying, that her daughter would be able to get to her in time. Robert Haley didn't seem as if he was ever going to stop. The pain from his blows shook her entire body.

"Stop please!" she begged, not noticing Lindsey who stood shocked motionless in the doorway.

"Mom!" the brunette fifteen year-old gasped. Robert looked up for only a moment before turning back to Catherine. He gripped her forearms, pulling her forward, only to slam her against the wall again. Catherine's head hit. Her world became foggy and vague.

"Don't! You'll hurt the baby!"

Something in her mother's words made Lindsey snap. She ran forwards and with all her might and pushed Robert. She had caught him off guard and he was shoved into the coffee table. Catherine sank down to the floor, her arms wrapped around her abdomen while the tears ran drenched her cheeks. Robert had hit his head against the wooden table and was now unconscious, blood seeping into a pool on the floor.

Lindsey grabbed the cordless phone from the couch while running towards her mother. Catherine breathed heavily with relief while her daughter dialed the phone. Her shoulders shook violently as she listened to her daughter relay the information.

"My mom was b-beaten by her boyfriend; s-she's pregnant. Robert's on the floor and he's not breathing. There's blood…so…so much blood." Lindsey's voice quivered.

Lindsey's words made Catherine realize the gravity of the situation. She stood up, her legs shaking, and using the wall as support. She walked over to the body of Robert Haley and sighed after carefully checking for a pulse. The man was dead, there was no doubt about it; his eyes were glazed over, too much blood had exited his body, and his chest wasn't rising and falling with the intake of oxygen.

"I killed him, didn't I," Lindsey's words came across as a solemn statement.

"Yeah, honey, you did,"-- Catherine engulfed her daughter in a tight embrace--" It's okay, just breathe." She had quickly stepped out of her role as the victim, and into the role that her daughter needed; a mother.

She placed her arm over Lindsey's shoulders, although she was limping and Lindsey was supporting most of her weight; she had to be there for her--any way she could--even if it was only mentally. Catherine did her best to ignore the pain as she led Lindsey through the front door. The two sat waiting on the front porch, Catherine holding her daughter for both of their sakes, until the police arrived in their flashing police cruisers. As the officers walked up to the two women, Catherine rubbed her daughter's arm, mentally preparing herself for what was to come.


	3. Chapter Two

_Not as intense as I wanted it to be, but I'm pleased with it. Maybe one more chapter possibly, then there will be a sequal. Beta is the wonderful LLK_

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Chapter 2

Lindsey Willows never took her eyes from her mother, now sitting on the back on the ambulance, as she was being led away. The handcuffs created awkward, uncomfortable friction against her wrists. The words of her mother's police knowledge echoed in her mind.

"_They'll take you in and question you about what happened. Tell them everything; don't leave out even the tiniest detail. You're going to be fine, Hun." _

Her words provided a strange kind of comfort. The kind that allowed for one to see the light at the end of the tunnel, yet strongly feel the darkness slowly suck the air out of their lungs. But it was the only thing Lindsey could rely on at the moment.

There was no way for Lindsey to know what lay a head of her as she was lowered into the hard, plastic seats of the cruiser. She was scared, all the way to the bone. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyes turned hard when she noticed the sympathetic eyes in the rear view mirror.

"What?" She spat. The officer looked back at the road, seemingly offended by her harshness.

"I know your mother. She's a good criminalist," he said. Lindsey sighed. She was constantly hearing that from people. She stared at the back of the graying man's head. Her emotional wall instantly sprang, leaving out an attitude as it's defense.

"So?" She asked, baiting him.

"Well, I trust her. If she's done half as good a job with raising you as she has her job…" the officer trailed off.

"Humph." Lindsey scoffed. She turned away from the mirror and watched as the outside Las Vegas world zoomed by.

Before she knew it, Lindsey was being led into the police station and everything was moving in slow motion. Each way she looked there were people she had always associated with as being the "bad guys". Many of them where run down and homely, but only a few stared at her.

The officer led her to a metal chair behind a matching table, where the child advocate soon joined her. She replayed her mother's advice once more in her head, while she silently hoped for a familiar face. Her hopes remained unanswered for another twenty minutes, and continued to stay the same when the detective walked through the door.

His cheep black suit and bad hair cut stung at Lindsey's eyes. She could smell the bad cologne on his skin. Lindsey became instantly furious, but she kept quiet.

"Can you please send in my uncle? Jim Brass," Lindsey asked with the sweetest of tones. For a sarcastic measure she added, "I believe he's your boss."

"Lindsey," the advocate, Ms. Lok, warned.

"No; he's in the field at the moment," the detective responded. Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Great," she responded coldly. Lindsey shifted positions in her chair, the cuffs scraping on the table.

"Let's get this going," The detective sighed, "Tell me exactly what happened, from the beginning."

"Well, after school I took the bus home like I normally do when my mom can't pick me up."

"How often is that?" the man interrupted.

"When ever she has to work and Grandma can't come and get me," Lindsey explained before launching back into her story.

"I walked in and dropped my bag. I heard a noise so I walked into the living room to see what it was. That's when I saw my mom,"--tears came to Lindsey's eyes, threatening to fall-- "She was pinned against the wall…he just kept hitting her."

"Who kept hitting her?" the detective asked. Lindsey felt Ms. Lok's hand on her arm.

"Robert Haley. He is…was, her boyfriend. She accidentally got pregnant, but Robert didn't take it well," she explained. The detective nodded.

"She was begging him--it would hurt the baby--but he just wouldn't stop. I couldn't take it any longer. Robert didn't seem to have noticed me, so I rushed forward and pushed him as hard as I could. He hit his head. That's when he started bleeding. I called you guys, then my mom checked to see if Robert was still alive or not. Then we went outside to wait until you guys got there." Lindsey had finally finished, the tears now running down her face.

Ms. Lok offered Lindsey a packet of tissues, which she gladly accepted. After wiping away what she thought was a sign of weakness, and regaining her composure, Lindsey asked the one question she needed answered the most.

"Is my mom okay?"

"She's at Desert Palms. Lindsey, please listen," Ms. Lok turned to face her, "We are going to release you into Warrick Brown's custody. Your Grandmother is still out of town, and with you being a minor we can't just let you go. You can't leave town." Lindsey nodded with understanding. "This is obvious self defense. I'm sure everything will be fine. Don't worry about a thing." The advocate's words did nothing to comfort her.

The detective rose from his seat and removed Lindsey's handcuffs. She rubbed each of her wrists tenderly and allowed the two adults to lead her into the hallway.

"Warrick!" Lindsey rushed forward to hug her mother's friend. She felt his strong arms around her slender body and the tears fell again. She pulled away and whispered.

"I was so scared, Rick. I need to see my mom."

"It's okay, Linds. It's okay to be scared," Warrick said with a worried look on his face, but Lindsey couldn't figure out why, "Let's go see your mother."


	4. Chapter Three

_I warned you it would all come to an end..._

_Beta: Lostladyknight_

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Chapter Three

A woman woke up to a throbbing in her head; she kept her eyes closed against the light. The soreness in her body kept her from moving. She groaned and finally opened her eyes. White. Everything was white. She recognized the sound of a steady beep near her ear and then she finally realized what was going on. She was in a hospital bed and completely alone, but that was all. She couldn't remember why or what happened to her. Worst of all, she didn't even know her name.

She heard the heart monitor's beeping speed up while she felt her heart beating faster and faster in her chest. Knowing that she was in the dark; a big part of her was missing: her identity. Her stomach was in knots and she was breathing hard. Her fingers gripped the sheets until she was able to breathe again. She thought for a moment, coming to the conclusion that what she had just experienced must have been a panic attack.

"Catherine Willows, it's good to see you are finally awake. I'm Dr. Leo" A man said cheerfully as he walked into the room. His smile dropped at her blank stare.

"Is that my name?" Catherine asked. The doctor sighed and stepped closer to Catherine's hospital bed.

"Yes that's your name. I'm going to ask you a few questions, to see how much you remember"

"Don't bother, I don't know anything," Catherine mumbled under her breath. The doctor ignored her.

"Birthday?"--Catherine shook her head--"Birthplace? Age?" he asked.

"Nothing."

There was a soft knock at the door right before a nurse in purple scrubs walked in with two people trailing behind.

"Mom!" Lindsey exclaimed then ran over to give her mother a hug. Catherine did her best to give the girl a hug with the pain the movement caused. She seemed familiar, as if it was on the tip of her tongue. Catherine kept quiet, watching with a curious eye as Lindsey stepped back, allowing Warrick to come forward and kiss Catherine's cheek.

"Glad to see that you're okay," Warrick said with a smile. Catherine lifted the corners of her lips slightly. She still didn't say a word. She looked at the doctor with a desperate look in her eyes.

"Mr. Brown, Ms. Willows, can I speak to you both outside for a moment?" The doctor asked before leading the two very confused people out of Catherine's room.

As soon as she heard the door shut, the wheels in Catherine's head began to turn. The girl was obviously her daughter, but she still didn't know her name. She had no idea who the man was. He was very handsome, she had to admit. Catherine looked down at her ring finger and found nothing. So he wasn't her husband. She thought back to the girl, her daughter, and couldn't help but wonder who her father was. It was all so confusing and overwhelming, and it was giving her a headache.

Catherine tried with all her might, but nothing else came to mind. What else couldn't she remember? An entire life's worth of memories and experiences gone. Gone. And she still didn't know why.

The two strangers reentered the room a few minutes later, sadness plastered on their faces. They each found their seats in the chairs against the wall.

"Catherine, this is Lindsey, she's your daughter," Doctor Leo explained. Lindsey gave a melancholy smile.

"Hi, Mom." Catherine didn't know what to say. Nothing she could think of would make the situation better.

"I'm Warrick Brown. We've worked together on cases many times. You work at the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a CSI," Warrick told her. If Catherine had known any better, she would have been able to tell that she had never seen Warrick Brown look so miserable.

"That's enough information for now. We don't want to overwhelm you anymore than necessary," Dr. Leo put his hands up.

"I'm sorry I don't remember you both. Especially considering you're my daughter," Catherine apologized, her eyes never moving from Lindsey's tear soaked face. The desperation in her voice was clear, "I just want to know what happened."

"In the last month you had been seeing a Robert Haley, a local sales manager, and…well…" Warrick started to explain. Lindsey looked at him before continuing where he left off.

"Last week you told me you were pregnant. Then you told Robert at the store and he flipped out. Later that day I came home and he was hitting you over and over,"--tears were now running down both women's cheeks freely--"I stopped him, but ended up killing him. You were brought to the hospital, it's been three days. I've been cleared in the murder."

Catherine wiped away her tears, flashes of a man hitting her popped into her mind. She watched as though not in her body, looking at the struggle before her as Lindsey pushed Robert to the floor.

She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in. Catherine looked to each of the three people in the room, "I…I remember that," she told them in a shaky voice. She placed one of her hands on top of her stomach.

"That's good; you have what we call retrograde memory loss. It's short-term, but we don't know how short," Dr. Leo told her, "When you were brought in we checked you over. You had a severe concussion, which left you comatose for, as your daughter said, three days."

"And the baby?" Catherine asked.

"The trauma from the blows separated the placenta. It was extremely hard to see considering how early it is into the pregnancy. When the placenta separates it causes bleeding, but one time is considered normal. If it happens again, it could be a sign of further damage to the fetus." Dr. Leo's explanation was slightly confusing.

"So my baby brother is going to be okay?" Lindsey asked. The adults turned to her at the sound of the assumption.

"Brother?" Catherine asked. Lindsey nodded.

"I just have a feeling that he is a boy," Lindsey told her mother. Catherine smiled at her spunkiness. Warrick let out a dry laugh, and even Catherine caught on to his anxiety.

"Is it alright if I talk to Warrick alone for a minute?" Catherine asked. Warrick looked up in surprise while Lindsey smiled.

"I don't see any problem with it," Dr. Leo turned to Warrick, "Remember, as little stress as possible."

Lindsey and the doctor left the room, leaving Warrick in his seat and Catherine in her bed.

"So, we work together," Catherine said, trying to start out an awkward conversation.

"Yeah, along with four other people who are on our team," he answered.

Catherine sighed angrily and turned away. "I can't believe this!" she grumbled loudly. Her heart began to race and she became dizzy.

"Hey, hey, hey," Warrick jumped up and walked towards her bed. "Easy."

"I'm just so frustrated. I can't even remember my own daughter, Rick!" Catherine surprised herself with the use of the nickname. Warrick seemed shocked too.

"I'm sorry, it just slipped out." It seemed like all she had been doing lately was apologizing.

"No, it's fine. You always have called me that; I'm surprised you said it, that's all." His voice assured her, "Don't worry about it. You'll be back to the old Cath in no time."

"Maybe I don't want to be the old Cath. I mean if getting pregnant with a man that is violent is any pattern…" she trailed off, realizing the joke wasn't all that funny.

"Hey, don't talk like that. If it helps, I like the old Catherine a lot," Warrick smiled, drawing a smile out of Catherine as well. She looked down at her hand and realized his fingers were intertwined with hers.

"I just want to remember," she said hopefully.

"Mom! Grandma is here!" Lindsey said as she burst through the door, her grandmother in tow.

"Oh, Sweetheart! I was so worried about you," Lily exclaimed. Lindsey had stopped at the site of Warrick and her mother, her mouth hanging wide open. Lilly stopped speaking as well, but Warrick never removed his hand from Catherine's.

The End.

Look for the sequal soon...

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_Please be kind and drop a review._


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